The Energon Pub

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 2:53 pm

giantrobotlover8806 wrote:i'm back people for the first time in a while, well learned some facts and history when I attended BotCon 2011 about a month and a half ago, that Jetfire(Skyfire) was originally made by a Japanese company called Takatoku Toys, when they went Bankrupt in the 1980's, Bandai purchased their rights and molds, desigins of the figures, so pretty much Bandai did not originally make Jetfire, or Skyfire, he is called either one, but they now own the rights to him, but are there any Transformers toys, products, etc., that are Bandai originals in which now Hasbro or Takara-Tomy now owns the rights too?

No. Funny thing, the company went belly up in 1984, and it was Bandai who licensed the molds, not Takatoku.

by **giantrobotlover8806** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:20 pm

so Bandai created it? or Bandai had more involvement than Takatoku did?

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:22 pm

giantrobotlover8806 wrote:so Bandai created it? or Bandai had more involvement than Takatoku did?

Takatoku themselves created the molds, but they were bought by Bandai. Now that Bandai are the current owners of the molds, they are the ones doing the licensing.

by **giantrobotlover8806** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:24 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
giantrobotlover8806 wrote:so Bandai created it? or Bandai had more involvement than Takatoku did?

Takatoku themselves created the molds, but they were bought by Bandai. Now that Bandai are the current owners of the molds, they are the ones doing the licensing.

how about, did Bandai ever create, make any molds that eventually became Transformers characters? as in they became Autobots or Decepticons?

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:36 pm

giantrobotlover8806 wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
giantrobotlover8806 wrote:so Bandai created it? or Bandai had more involvement than Takatoku did?

Takatoku themselves created the molds, but they were bought by Bandai. Now that Bandai are the current owners of the molds, they are the ones doing the licensing.

how about, did Bandai ever create, make any molds that eventually became Transformers characters? as in they became Autobots or Decepticons?

Ironically enough, we'll need to look at Tonka's Gobots for that answer. While Transformers was based on Diaclone and Microman by Takara, Gobots was based on Machine Robo by Bandai. As you may know, Tonka was bought out by Hasbro along with Kenner some time during Generation 2, and thus acquired the Gobots franchise and names, but not the molds. These are the characters that made an official appearance in any fiction:

Bug Bite
Pathfinder
Road Ranger
Treads
Bad Boy
Small Foot
Cy-Kill (cannon fodder cameos)

And the homages:

Crasher (as Fracture, originally meant for Universe)
Spoons (as Deadlift)
Night Ranger (as the canceled Movie Scout Backtrack)

by **giantrobotlover8806** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 2:41 am

i take that as a yes, well Tonka's GoBots were originally Bandai molds, but now Hasbro owns the rights to Tonka, well it got bought out by Hasbro, so eventhough Bandai and Takara-Tomy are domestic rivals, both have been involved in the Transformers franchise

News Credits: 3 · by **bvzxa** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 5:11 pm

Yup...Machine Robo. Even the anime was so much better than Challenge of the Gobots

by **giantrobotlover8806** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 7:40 pm

so God Bless Bandai and Takara-Tomy!!!!

by **DJLazer** » Sun Jul 31, 2011 11:51 pm

giantrobotlover8806 wrote:I know that Hasbro owns all the rights to Transformers products, and the Japanese versions of the toys in Japan are by Takara, but have there ever been any Transformers toys, products, licensed or made by Bandai? Just curious, because, a lot of Transformers characters have Gundam or Super Sentai-Power Rangers designs, like similiarity, style.

Yup for example g1 jetfire.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Mon Aug 01, 2011 10:03 am

DJLazer wrote:
giantrobotlover8806 wrote:I know that Hasbro owns all the rights to Transformers products, and the Japanese versions of the toys in Japan are by Takara, but have there ever been any Transformers toys, products, licensed or made by Bandai? Just curious, because, a lot of Transformers characters have Gundam or Super Sentai-Power Rangers designs, like similiarity, style.

Yup for example g1 jetfire.

Takatoku Toys, later bought by Bandai as explained before.

by **giantrobotlover8806** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:36 pm

they really should make a documentary about Toei, Toei animation did the 80's Transformers cartoons, both the American and Japanese ones, and Dragon Ball Z as well, and Toei Company produces the live-action franchises Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, Metal Heroes

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:11 pm

Toei only did part of the G1 cartoon. Other studios include Toei, AKOM, Tokyo Movie Shinsha (supposedly) and an unknown studio from the Philippines. Especially AKOM is notorious for its errors.

Toei was responsible for the Japan-only series, as well as all of Season 1, the movie and all commercials. They are rather fickle to work with however.

by **giantrobotlover8806** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:07 pm

yeah, but the fact that Toei has been involved in the Transformers franchise, and involved in Tokusatsu franchises such as Super Sentai(the original Japanese counterpart to Power Rangers), Kamen Rider(what Masked Rider is based on), and Metal Heroes(VR Troopers, Beetleborgs), i love how they have something in common.